A Solar Beam under the sun is a nightmare. With the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), its base power skyrocketed to a staggering 180.
The two ultimate moves collided in the center of the arena. Because Meganium was a Grass-type, it had a natural resistance to Arno's Ground-type Stomping Tantrum. Conversely, as a Poison-type, Arno resisted the light-speed energy of the Solar Beam.
The exchange was perfectly, brutally even.
A massive explosion rocked the stadium. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were trembling, barely holding onto consciousness. Meganium's front legs buckled first; it slumped to the grass, eyes swirling.
Master Silas raised the red flag toward Luke. "Meganium is unable to battle! The winner is Luke Rhodes!"
The second the whistle blew, Arno collapsed too, panting heavily. He had nothing left.
Luke and Chloe moved in perfect sync, recalling their partners and sprinting toward the Gym's high-tech medical wing.
"I don't get it!" Chloe snapped once their Pokémon were safely in the healing pods. She glared at Luke, her competitive fire still burning. "My Solar Beam was mathematically stronger and Meganium has higher endurance. Why did Arno stay standing?"
Luke was still dazed from the adrenaline, but Master Silas walked in, patting his daughter's head.
"It's the Hustle ability, Chloe. It drops Arno's accuracy, but it boosts his physical power by 1.5 times. That Stomping Tantrum didn't hit with 150 power—it hit with 225. Even a healthy Meganium would struggle to survive a tectonic shift like that."
Chloe took a deep breath, her anger cooling into analysis. "I see where I messed up. I was too obsessed with the Light Screen setup. If I had let Meganium take the hit and drop its HP to the red zone, I could have triggered Overgrow. It would have been a draw at the very least."
Luke leaned against the wall, shaking his head. "Your tactics were fine, Chloe. I was gambling on an 80% accuracy check. If Arno had slipped, I was dead. I got lucky."
Chloe stuck her tongue out at him. "Luck is part of being a pro. But don't get comfortable. Next time, I'm the one taking the win."
Luke felt a chill. He realized that while he was optimizing every stat, Chloe was a raw battle genius. Arno was a first-stage evolution holding his own against a second-stage titan through sheer grit and Luke's "illegal" cultivation. If he didn't evolve Arno soon, the next match wouldn't be a duel—it would be a slaughter.
The medical device chimed green. Their partners were fully restored. Chloe grabbed both Poké Balls, tossing Arno's back to Luke with a smirk. "Stop brooding. We're eating. My treat!"
Ten minutes later, they were at a famous barbecue joint in Ocre City's pedestrian district.
Master Silas and Luke showed absolutely zero "mercy" for Chloe's wallet. They tore through the menu like hungry Primeapes. Charcoal-grilled Tauros steak, braised Farfetch'd, crispy Lechonk cutlets, and Veluza sashimi.
Chloe watched the plates pile up, clutching her purse and mentally calculating how much of her father's allowance she was going to "reclaim" tomorrow to pay for this.
In the Zenith League, the Pokémon Welfare Act was the supreme law. It dictated that Pokémon raised by humans shared basic civil rights. You couldn't just slaughter a Tauros for a burger.
Instead, the world relied on high-end gene-cloning—similar to the "synthetic meat" of Luke's old world—to grow specific cuts of meat in labs. For species like Veluza or Slowpoke, who naturally shed parts of their bodies or tails that later Recover, humans simply harvested what the Pokémon "gifted."
Back on Earth, Luke had hated the idea of lab-grown meat. But here? Looking at the intelligent, emotional creatures around him, he found it much easier to enjoy a steak knowing no actual Tauros had to lose its life for his dinner.